Crooked Little House

Catherine, a grandmother of two boys, has created a whimsical playhouse that doubles as an outhouse! At first I thought, how could this work? A porta potty is actually moved in or out as it's needed! I would have never have thought of combining these two functions, but in this case it seems to work.

Nothing in the playhouse is square, making framing a bit more difficult. First, Catherine made sketches, but the final shape was a result of trial and error. As she framed the house she would step back and evaluate, sometimes taking parts down and rebuilding. I can imagine designing and building a space like this must require a great deal of patience.

The door on this playhouse is not your typical door. In order to make it large enough for adults, but keep it scaled down for kids an illusion was created. If you look closely, the window above the door is actually part of the door! This solution allows adults to enter comfortably and at the same time it looks right proportionally.

Most of the materials are re-used. This is not only great for the environment (and pocket book), but it also adds instant character. The siding was from a downed oak on their property. A neighbor milled it for them. The roofing is recycled cedar shingles from an old cabin, and the deck is recycled redwood from a friend's deck renovation. At the back of the house there is even a salvaged stained glass window!

Catherine's got more playhouse images on Flickr that are worth taking a look at.